Maybe He Really Has Changed: So Stop Flying Solo, Idiot
by xhidden-shadowsx
Summary: Kimiko comfronts Raimundo about something that has been bothering her and the other monks. Short one-shot. Sequel to my first fic: Maybe He Really Has Changed. No pairings unless you really want there to be. Please R&R so I can improve.


Raimundo Pedrosa, Xiaolin Dragon of Wind(in training), mechanically washed the dishes and placed them into a stack of dishes he'd already washed. Though he hated the job and was extremely bored, he was making and effort to be more responsible now that he was a Shoku Warrior and leader of his team. As much as he would have liked to use the Shroud of Shadows to simply make the dishes seem to magically disappear, he knew it wasn't worth it. Fung-meister seemed to have a knack for finding out Raimundo was avoiding his chores.

Just before coming in to do his god-forsaken chores, Omi had a hard time believing Raimundo was actually going to do them. No doubt he was spying on the Brazilian, watching in shock as the usually slacker-Raimundo was really doing the work.

Sure enough, Raimundo heard the nearly silent pitter-patter of Omi's small feet running away, presumably to alert Clay and Kimiko that something was wrong with their leader. Within minutes, he heard the quiet footsteps returning with a single partner that, judging by the sound, was too light to be Clay.

Placing another dish on the stack, he sighed. The Dragon of Water (in training) didn't seem to want to believe that Raimundo was putting forth a renewed effort to prove that making him leader was a good choice. It would seem that the Dragon of Fire(in training) wasn't entire sure herself.

"Are you guys here to gawk the entire time?" Raimundo asked with a flat tone, picking up another wet dish and scrubbing it down.

He didn't have to look to know that Kimiko was approaching. She no longer made any effort to silence her footsteps and the footfalls were too far between to belong to Omi's short legs. The shorter monk was either escaping in the cover of Kimiko's steps, or was still standing just outside the doorway out of side.

"I'm not gawking, I'm here to help." The Japanese girl responded, picking up a dish and beginning to scrub alongside him.

He appreciated the sentiment, but had to ask, "Why? You already did your chores and it's my turn to do the dishes."

"Because I want to."

"You don't have to; I'm not going to leave them here all dirty. We'd just had to deal with Clay's crusty week-old leftovers all over the plates." He scrubbed vigorously at the crusty week-old leftovers in question, which even Omi would agree put up a valiant effort to remain in place.

She punched his arm, not hard enough to hurt but not light enough to come across as playful. "You don't have to be so macho. You might be the leader now, but you still don't have to do everything alone."

He brought his battle with the crusty left-overs to a halt, taking in Kimiko's words. She was right. After becoming a Shoku Warrior, he'd done a lot of studies and training alone, convinced that he needed to live up to the expectations that he was positive surrounded him. He still went Shen-Gon-Wu hunting with the others, but he'd been isolating himself lately in his attempt to avoid disappointing anyone. In the process, his friends must have thought his stubborn pride was pushing them away.

He returned his attention to the dishes in front of him, though less intently than before, and murmured, "I see."

There was a brief moment of silence before Kimiko spoke softly, "You could become a better leader by training with your team."

The message was clear and already in Raimundo's mind. _There was no leader without the team. So stop flying solo, idiot._

Raimundo set down the dish, the battle of the crusty plate finally coming to an end, and said, "How about now?"

Blinking in surprise, Kimiko was hardly able to believe that he had gotten over his stubborn pride so quickly. However, she was unaware that he was only trying too hard to be what he was the entire time. She asked, "What about the dishes, they're not all clean yet."

Raimundo was already waiting by the door next to Omi, a familiar grin on the Brazilian's face. "They'll be here when I get back. Team-building first, sanitary surfaces to eat off of second."

The laugh escaped Kimiko as she followed him out the doorway and said, "That's the Rai we all know and love!"

As they charged to retrieve the final member of the team, the Dragon of Earth (in training), Kimiko thought to herself, "_Maybe he really has changed."_


End file.
